Safe With Me
by PancakesAndSunshine
Summary: With frequent flashbacks of her encounters with serial killer Charles Hoyt, Jane Rizzoli is struggling to lead a smooth life. When Casey stirs up some trouble at an induction ceremony for new recruits, will Maura finally get through to Jane and make her realize that she does truly love her? *Rated T for themes. Enjoy!


**Author's Note: Hey y'all! This is my very first Rizzoli and Isles FanFiction story, so I really hope you love it! I honestly love the Rizzoli & Isles fandom- everyone is so nice and welcoming! Anyway, I'm off my soapbox. Enjoy! **

**P.S.- I wrote this for my amazing friend, LauraMaeH94. She's honestly like a sister to me and I can go to her with anything. I love you! **

**This was prompted by the Tumblr post linked at the bottom of the page.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Jane had seemed particularly distant for the duration of the night, which was odd during such a time of festive celebration as the annual induction ceremony for all new detectives entering the Boston Police Department.

Weak hands gripped the white tablecloth, and tired eyes remained on Casey's full body and thinning hair.

From the seat beside Jane, Maura placed her fingers lightly on Jane's forearm.

The sudden, uninvited human contact- not to mention Maura's nearly fiery warm fingers- elicited a small jump from Jane.

"Oh," Maura gasped. "I'm sorry. Jane, are you all right? Your skin is freezing cold- definitely under 98.6 degrees. You're not sick, are you?"

Jane ran her tongue over her chapped lips and let her eyes momentarily wander from Casey so she could look Maura in the eye.

"Huh? Uh, no, I'm not sick. Why do you ask?"

The clapping of the crowd masked Maura's brief sigh. "You weren't listening? You're freezing," she repeated.

Jane's eyes slipped back to the back of Casey's head. "Oops," she whispered indirectly to Maura.

Maura frowned. She was used to Jane's dry sarcasm, but something about the way she said "oops" was half-hearted; it wasn't the usual snarky Jane.

Sensing that Maura was observing her, she stood up before Maura could even open her mouth to speak and excused herself to "get some air."

Jane was perfectly content with observing the flushed faces grace the stage, followed by short bursts of laughter and clapping, from the side of the room.

She didn't notice Casey depart his area of the room to follow her, nor did she see him take up his spot beside her. It wasn't until his hand came to rest a little too low down her back, his hot breath on the back of her neck, that she realized his close proximity.

She drew in a breath, ready to push him away, when he growled into her ear, "What d'you say we get outta here?" The smell of alcohol was strong.

"Casey." She tensed up, but he only drew closer. She could feel the metal of his belt buckle digging into her. "Please. Don't."

"Oh, come on," he whispered, placing his lips on her neck. "Don't worry, it's just me. I'm not friggin' Charles Hoyt. "

"Casey, stop!" Jane raised her voice and whipped around to face him. Nobody noticed, as they were too focused on the induction of the new detectives.

Luckily, Maura had happened to come looking for her and stumbled across the situation.

Normally, she would've made some sort of awkward comment and bow out of the hall, but she could tell by Jane's wild eyes and flushed cheeks that this wasn't something she was necessarily enjoying.

"Casey, stop," Maura spoke forcefully. She managed to undo a rigid Jane from Casey's steel grip.

Nothing good ever happened when a man approached Jane like that from behind.

By the time someone in the audience had noticed the situation, Jane was fully dysfunctional, lying on the ground like a helpless child. Her muscles were tense, and Casey was struggling to keep her up.

"I-I don't know what got into me," he mumbled apologetically.

Maura couldn't tell if it was Marino's eyes or Hoyt's grip that had wandered its way into Jane's mind, but by the look on her face, it quite frankly didn't matter.

"Stop." She substituted for Casey and propped Jane up on her thigh.

"What the hell's happening?" Korsak rushed over with Frost, Frankie, and Mrs. Rizzoli close behind him.

"Janey!" Mrs. Rizzoli gasped.

At this point, the entire ceremony had been halted, and a crowd was gathering around Maura and Jane's prone body.

"What happened?" someone vaguely to the left shouted over the mumbling.

_She just had a post-traumatic stress disorder-related flashback stimulated by…_ Maura stopped herself.

"She fainted," she replied instead.

Mrs. Rizzoli quickly knelt next to Jane and brushed the hair out of her face. "Oh God…"

"I've got her, Angela," Maura assured the older woman. She momentarily turned her attention to Korsak.

"Vince, help me with her for a minute. We need to get her home," she ordered. Korsak nodded and proceeded to prop Jane up.

"Doesn't she need a hospital?" someone piped up from the back of the crowd.

Maura looked up and addressed the entire crowd. "Everyone, Detective Rizzoli will be just fine. We just need to get her home to rest. Please return to the ceremony. Sorry for the interruption."

Slowly but surely, everyone filed back into the main hall, and the ceremony resumed. All that was left was Casey, Mrs. Rizzoli, Frankie, Korsak, and Frost.

"Alright, I could get her into your car," Korsak nodded to Maura. They balanced Jane's arms on their shoulders so that she was dangling between them.

"Was it another episode?" Mrs. Rizzoli whispered, rushing forward to follow them.

Frankie held her back and nodded. "We better let Maura take care of this," he said. "I wanna be there with her- I really do. But Maura would have better luck with her," he explained.

Mrs. Rizzoli took a deep breath, and Frankie escorted her back inside.

Frost turned to Casey with a stony stare.

"What did you say to her?" he let out in a low, threatening voice.

Casey ran his hands over the stubble on his face. "Look, I didn't mean to set her off. I-I just made a grave mistake," he explained.

Frost pressed his lips together in a tight line. "Yeah… Yeah you did." He gave Casey one last glance and left him to sit alone on the steps.

Meanwhile, Korsak had left Maura to tend to Jane, and she was just pulling out of the parking lot.

She could hear Jane incoherently mumbling from the seat next to her.

Maura reached over and gave her a light touch, making sure physical contact wouldn't set her off again.

"Jane, I know you probably can't understand what I'm saying, but you're here with me, Maura," she spoke softly. Jane moaned again.

Soon enough, they pulled up in front of Maura's apartment, and Maura helped Jane out. By this time, Jane was able enough to maintain a somewhat stable stance as Maura unlocked the front door.

She helped Jane to the couch and retrieved a glass of water, keeping it nearby.

"Wh-what happened?" Jane grimaced, squinting at the harsh light of Maura's living room.

Maura winced and immediately grabbed the universal remote and dimmed the lights as quick as possible.

"You just had another… _episode_," Maura explained quietly. She reached for Jane's hand, and surprisingly, Jane reciprocated the act.

Suddenly, in the dimly lit room, sobs erupted from Jane's throat, like a wounded animal.

Maura scrambled and pulled Jane's body closer into hers. Her arm was wrapped around Jane's shoulders and her other hand was cradling Jane's face to her chest.

"You're here with me, Jane. You're safe now," Maura whispered, kissing Jane's hair.

"I was so scared," Jane's voice broke. She continued to sob into Maura's shirt, soaking it through with her tears. "What did he do to me?"

"Shh, it's okay. It's over, Jane. It's over," Maura assured her, keeping her close.

"Why? Why…?" Jane continued to whimper uncontrollably.

Maura's heart split in two. The pain she felt from the look on Jane's face was tangible. Her chest panged as Jane carried on shedding tears into her lap.

Normally, on occasions like this, Maura did a terrific job of cheering Jane up and succeeded in taking her mind off the situation, but this specific incident proved to be quite traumatizing for her.

"Hey," Maura spoke quietly. She bent her neck down and rested her chin on Jane's head. "I love you, okay? Don't forget that."

It took a few minutes of a smooth rubbing pattern from Maura's hand to Jane's upper back for Jane to begin breathing steadily, and her muscles loosened. She looked up at Maura and licked her lips. "I know, but…"

"No. No 'buts,' Jane. I love you, and that's that," Maura said firmly.

"But… That's too much responsibility. It's too much pain to love me, Maura. It's too much. I can't do this to you…" Jane was at a loss for words, and she was tense again.

Maura tilted Jane's chin so that their eyes were locked onto each other's.

"But I can. I love you, and nothing can or will change that. Please, believe me," Maura whispered, her eyes filling up with tears.

A small smile appeared on Jane's lips. "Don't cry," she shook her head.

Maura pulled Jane back in. With a firm hug, she cradled Jane in her arms with a strong grip, and once more whispered, "I love you."

**The End.**

**Author's Note: So!? How did you like it? I really hope you all enjoyed it. Now… To continue or not to continue… That is the question. Anyway, give the review box some love and let me know if I should write more! XOXO**

**Tumblr Link to Prompt: post/53791238774/nothing-good-ever-happens-when-a- man-approaches**


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